22/2/15 Lord, make me know your ways!

First Sunday of Lent (Year B)

Welcome to this week's a little liturgy.  In the weeks leading up to Easter I am trying to look again at the sacrifice of the Mass.  It is sometimes difficult to unpick this for children as we cannot talk and explain things through the consecration.  I hope today's resources help you to make a start.

Summary of Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Genesis 9:8-15
God tells Noah and his sons that he will not ever send another flood.  He will make a covenant with them and the sign of this covenant will be a rainbow in the sky.

Psalm 24
Your ways, Lord, are faithfulness and love for those who keep your covenant.

Second Reading
1 Peter 3:18-22
St Peter tells us that Christ died for the forgiveness of sins and that Baptism saves us now.  

Gospel
Mark 1:12-15
Jesus went into the desert for forty days and was tempted by the devil.  After this he went into Galilee and proclaimed the good news saying, "the kingdom of God is close at hand". 

Discussion

Today we hear about the Covenant God made with Noah; he promises that the floodwaters would never destroy the world again.  St Peter tells us that Christ died for sins.  Often this act is referred to as God making a New Covenant with humankind.  He promises us that we can have eternal life with him if we follow his ways.  This is what makes up the Good News.  We have a way forward that can free us from sin and death, if we are prepared to listen and to follow.  

Activities for Mass

Activity A
Look at the words of the consecration below:

Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is my body,
Which will be given up for you.

Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
For this is the chalice of my blood,
The blood of the new and everlasting covenant.
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.

At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of this New Covenant and he, himself, was to be the sacrifice that sealed this covenant.  Draw the host and chalice on the altar to illustrate the new covenant.  Now draw a symbol to illustrate the old covenant with Noah.  (You may need to look back at the First Reading.)

Activity B
Now complete the story below:

In the Old Testament days people were ______________________ .  So God decided to punish them by sending a _________________   to destroy the whole ___________________.  However, he told Noah to ___________________________________________________  so that he and his family could be saved.  Afterwards, God made a ____________________________ with the whole of mankind.  The sign of this promise was a ________________ .

In the New Testament times, God sent his son so that he could make a new ___________________ with the people of the world.  Jesus preached the Good ______________  .  He told people to repent and love their neighbours.  When he died on the cross, Jesus made the New Covenant real.  He conquered ______________  and showed us the path to everlasting ____________ . At Mass we witness the making of this covenant at the ___________________ .  This is the sign of the New Covenant.   

Activity C
Today the Psalmist is asking God for help to follow God - the verse printed below makes a good  prayer to learn and shows the links between New and Old Testaments.  Try to learn it!

Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.


Other activities and useful resources

Click below for a useful reminder of Noah's story - probably for younger children:
Youtube cartoon of Noah's story

Below is a good video of the consecration - unlike at Mass, you can pause and rewind to allow for all those questions!
Youtube video of the consecration

I hope you have found something useful today!

Maria